Baking a healthy and nourishing loaf of sourdough bread with your sourdough starter is gratifying, to be sure, but what if you’re not home all day to check in on the long-fermented dough? I mean, some of us do have to work, right? This simple weekday sourdough bread recipe and schedule are uncomplicated for mixing and baking a loaf of bread during the busy workweek.
This post includes pictures and videos that clearly and concisely convey the full sourdough bread-making process. But why is this recipe so easy compared to others?
Real Quick: Why is This Sourdough Bread Easy?
- It’s a no-knead sourdough bread recipe: mix everything in one bowl
- It uses only two types of flour: bread flour and whole-wheat flour
- It’s moderate hydration—no messy dough or counters
- It’s baked in a Dutch oven or combo cooker
- Timing is extremely flexible
Let’s go over the workweek schedule.
A simple weekday sourdough bread schedule
In the past, I’ve discussed a weekend baking schedule that outlines a schedule for low maintenance during the week with a bake on the weekend. The following schedule, however, allows baking during the week around a typical nine-to-five workday. It’s also quite flexible, and you always have the option to place the dough in the fridge longer to bake when you get a chance.
Read through my ultimate guide to dough proofing for more information on adjusting the proofing period for this sourdough bread.
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 7:00 a.m. (before work) | – Make the 10-hour levain (ready ~5:00 p.m.) – Save time later, scale-out flour & salt into bowls and cover |
| 5:00 p.m. (after work) | When levain ready, mix dough for autolyse |
| 5:30 p.m. | Finish mixing and begin bulk fermentation |
| 9:00 p.m. | Divide, pre-shape, and bench rest |
| 9:30 p.m. | Shape and place into the refrigerator to proof overnight |
| 7:00 a.m. (next day) | – Bake the next day before work – Alternatively, bake after work |
The schedule above has example times, so shift the timeline to earlier or later according to your schedule. Don’t worry if you don’t hit the times precisely as they’re written. There’s some flexibility there.
A Simple Weekday Sourdough Bread Recipe
Vitals
| Total Dough Weight | 1,800 grams |
| Pre-fermented Flour | 8.0% |
| Hydration | 76.0% |
| Yield | Two loaves |
Total Formula
The following table shows all the ingredients needed to make this bread. Each ingredient will be called out as needed in the method steps below.
My final dough temperature for this simple weekday sourdough bread was 75°F (24°C). For more information, see my post on the importance of dough temperature.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 806g | High-protein white bread flour, malted (King Arthur Bread Flour) | 80.0% |
| 202g | Whole wheat flour (King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour) | 20.0% |
| 766g | Water | 76.0% |
| 19g | Fine sea salt | 1.9% |
| 8g | Ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 0.8% |
Method
1. Prepare levain – 7:00 a.m., before work
A levain is simply an off-shoot of a sourdough starter. A sourdough starter is never used up completely; it’s continually fed day after day indefinitely. A levain is created with a small bit of a sourdough starter and left to mature (ferment) until ready to be mixed into a dough. Ultimately, it meets the same fate as the dough: baked in the oven.
In the morning before work, mix in a jar:
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 40g | Bread flour |
| 40g | Whole wheat flour |
| 81g | Water |
| 8g | Mature sourdough starter |
Loosely cover the jar; it should be ready after about 10 hours at room temperature, 72-75°F (22-24°C).
2. Autolyse with Levain – 5:00 p.m. after work
Performing an autolyse gives our dough a chance for the flour to fully hydrate and begin the gluten development process (all without kneading). I typically don’t do an autolyse with the levain included, but we’ll do that in this simple weekday sourdough bread recipe because it’s a short period.
Add all the ingredients below to a mixing bowl. Mix with wet hands until all the dry bits are incorporated. Cover and keep somewhere warm at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Note: the water in the table below is 50g less than the total water for this recipe; the water (and the salt) are held back for the next mixing step.
Dough Mix
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 766g | High protein bread flour, malted (King Arthur Bread Flour) |
| 161g | Whole wheat flour (King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour) |
| 635g | Water, Autolyse |
| 169g | Ripe levain (created in Step 1) |
The image above shows the direct result of even a short autolyse. The left image shows the shaggy mass just before I finished incorporating everything. The right image shows how smooth and strong the dough becomes simply by resting. Let’s take this further with a little mixing.
3. Mix – 5:20 p.m.
Add the ingredients in the table below to the top of the dough: first, add the salt and then add the reserved water slowly to help dissolve the salt. Add the water a little at a time, depending on how the dough feels: it should be shaggy and loose, but not “soupy.” You can pause midway through pouring the water to incorporate it with a wet hand. If it feels like the dough can handle the rest of the water, add it all.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 50g | Water, Mix (as needed) |
| 19g | Salt |
Since this dough uses a fair amount of high-protein white bread flour, it doesn’t require extensive mixing or kneading.
Using wet hands, mix everything until it comes together into a shaggy mass. This dough is rather strong and doesn’t require intensive mixing or kneading, but give it a few folds in the bowl, perhaps 5-10, until it smooths slightly (see the image, right).
Cover the bowl with reusable plastic and keep it somewhere warm in your kitchen for bulk fermentation.
3. Bulk Fermentation – 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Bulk fermentation, or first rise, occurs when the dough is leavened (through the production of carbon dioxide gas) and flavored (through the production of organic acids) as a result of natural fermentation. Below, you can see how much my dough rises during this 3-hour and 30-minute bulk fermentation at 75°F (24°C).
During this time, give the dough 2 sets of stretch and folds: the first set is 30 minutes after the beginning of bulk fermentation, and the second set is 30 minutes after the first. After the second set, let the dough rest, covered, until the next step.
As you can see in the video above, each set of stretches and folds is simple: With wet hands, grab one side and gently stretch it up and over to the other. Perform this fold in each direction: North, South, East, and West.
4. Divide & Preshape – 9:00 p.m.
Fill a bowl with some water and place it on your work surface. Scrape out your dough from the bulk container onto your dry counter. Divide the mass in half using a bench knife. Using a wet hand and the knife in the other, gently preshape each half into a loose round. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes until it’s relaxed outward.
See my guide to preshaping bread dough for a video and more instructions.
5. Shape – 9:30 p.m.
As seen in the video below, flour the top of the round with your hands and flip it over. Take the bottom edge and fold it up to about the middle. Take the left and right sides in your hands and fold the right over to about 2/3 of the left side. Repeat for the left side. Then, take the top and fold down to about the middle and gently seal. This should form a little envelope shape.
Now, flip over the entire thing and begin dragging and sealing the dough underneath itself (top-right, above). Using both hands, rotate and drag the mass toward you to create tension on the top. Repeat the dragging if necessary.
Read through my guide to shaping a boule for more instruction.
6. Proof – 9:45 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. (the next day)
Cover both proofing baskets entirely and put them in the fridge to proof overnight. The fridge allows us to slow fermentation to bake before or after work the next day.
7. Bake – 7:00 a.m. (pre-heat oven at 6:00 a.m.)
Preheat your oven with the rack at the bottom third to 450°F (230°C). Place your Dutch oven inside, with the lid and bottom side-by-side.
Take one basket out from the fridge and uncover it. Your dough might not have risen considerably in the fridge, but that’s fine. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit over the basket and place a pizza peel (or large cutting board) on top. Using both hands, flip the entire stack over and remove the basket.
Score the dough using your favorite design. As you can see above, I love the “box top” score. Check out this video of me scoring this style (and a few others) below:
Now that your dough is scored, carefully slide it into the Dutch oven and bake for 20 minutes, covered.
After this time, remove the lid and bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. The internal temperature should be around 205-210°F (96-99°C).
(Note that If you’d like a thinner crust on this bread, increase the covered bake time to 30 minutes and reduce the second half of the bake (without steam) by 10 minutes. This increased baking time with steam can help reduce the thickness of the crust.)
Remove the loaf to a cooling rack for 2 hours before slicing. This lets the crust and crumb fully set and the flavor develop. Return the Dutch oven to the oven (without parchment) and bring it back to temp to bake the second loaf.
Follow my guide to storing sourdough bread to keep it fresh for the next week (or freeze it for longer!).
Print
Simple Weekday Sourdough Bread
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 25 hours
- Yield: 2 loaves
- Category: Bread, Sourdough
- Cuisine: American
Description
A loaf of delicious sourdough bread designed around a busy workday. The levain is prepared for this bread in the morning and left to ripen while you’re at work. When you get home, continue with the baking process. The dough can then be baked at night or the next day in the morning, or after work.
Ingredients
Levain
- 40g bread flour
- 40g whole wheat flour
- 81g water
- 8g ripe sourdough starter
Main Dough
- 766g bread flour
- 161g whole wheat flour
- 19g salt
- 685g water
- 169g ripe levain
Instructions
- Levain (7:00 a.m. before work)
In a small container, mix the Levain ingredients and keep it at a warm temperature for 10 hours. - Autolyse with levain (5:00 p.m after work)
In a medium mixing bowl, add all of the levain, 766g bread flour, 161g whole wheat flour, and 635g water (50g was reserved for mixing, later) and mix until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for 20 minutes. - Mix (5:20 p.m.)
To the mixing bowl holding your dough, add 19g salt and some of the reserved 50g water (or all if the dough feels like it can handle it). Mix thoroughly and strengthen the dough for about 5 minutes. Using wet hands, mix everything until it comes together into a shaggy mass. This dough is relatively strong and doesn’t require intensive kneading (like slap and fold), but give it a few folds in the bowl, perhaps 5-10, until it smooths slightly. Transfer the dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover. - Bulk Fermentation (5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
This dough will need 2 sets of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation, the first set 30 minutes after bulk fermentation begins. Perform the second set 30 minutes after the first, and then let the dough rest the remainder of bulk fermentation. - Divide and Preshape (9:00 p.m.)
Lightly flour your work surface and scrape out your dough. Using your bench knife, divide the dough in half. Lightly shape each half into a round shape. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, uncovered. - Shape (9:30 p.m.)
Shape the dough into a round (boule) or oval (batard), then place the dough in proofing baskets. - Proof (9:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. the next day)
Cover proofing baskets with reusable plastic and seal shut. Then, place both baskets into the refrigerator and proof overnight. - Bake (The next day, bake at 7:00 a.m. before work, or 6:00 p.m. after work)
Preheat your oven with a baking surface or combo cooker/Dutch oven inside to 450°F (230°C). Remove your dough from the fridge, score it, and transfer it to the preheated baking surface or combo cooker. Bake for 20 minutes with steam. After this time, vent the steam in the oven or remove the lid (you can keep it in the oven or remove it) and continue to bake for 30 minutes longer. When done, the internal temperature should be around 204°F (95°C). Let the loaves cool for 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- This recipe is wonderful left plain, or you could top the dough with rolled oats, white sesame seeds, or flax seeds.
If you use this recipe, tag @maurizio on Instagram so I can take a look!
What’s Next?
There you have it; this simple weekday sourdough bread can be made daily and adjusted to fit your schedule. Now, there’s no reason not to bake. This recipe is also a great place to experiment: mix 125g of nuts like walnuts and pecans and dried fruit like cranberries, cherries, or raisins.
Many recipes on my site can be adapted to this simple weekday sourdough bread schedule, most notably my Beginner’s Sourdough. Both recipes use flexible doughs, and the fridge provides even more.
For a more hands-off approach, check out my easy no-knead sourdough bread recipe. It can also be adapted to bake in a single day or ferment longer for an easier schedule.
Happy baking!
903 Comments
HI!! I love the concept of formulating a bread schedule around a work schedule! This is a godsend!!
…
How do I do focaccia 😭
Thx Savannah! For focaccia, I'd have to formulate a completely new timeline… I will work on this 🙂
Can this recipe be adapted to use 1000g flour so hydration percentage can be played with? The odd measurements make that a little harder for someone like me who isn't very good with numbers!
I'll work on this Maddie but have you seen my guide to working with Baker's Percentages ?
Is there a recipe for the bread for only all purpose flour? It’s all I have and I see that you have three types
I have a sourdough bread with all-purpose flour (at 100%) right here , Dolly!
I’ve made the levain for the weekday loaf, but after 10 hours it has risen, but not doubled. Can I still bake with it?
I would, it doesn't have to double!
For the proof stage, am I correct in thinking it can be baked with anytime between those hours? So use from 7AM, but before 6PM?
Yes you can use the fridge to chill the dough and take it out when you want to bake.
I'm new to sourdough (3 mos) and have had more failures than wins. My starter seems healthy. I use it weekly (typically weekends). I keep it in refrigerator for the week and take it out Thursday or Friday mornings – feed it and its very active for the weekend bakes. I am going for your weekday recipe and follow it exactly. I was surprised how little starter 8g (which seemed hardly more than a Tbl when weighed) along with wheat / white / water – but – I am trusting the master lol. My wife left for work at noon and said there was little to no action for the 5 hours since I started it. Our house is at 67 so I had her put it in the oven with only the light on which usually gets to around 80 degrees and we will see what it looks like this evening. If its doubled or more – go for it tonight ? Or what do you suggest? Bought the book today also – looking forward to this journey. My problem seems to have been there are TOO many sourdough bakers / sites / youtubers / to follow and I doubt I have use the same recipe twice because I haven't loved any of the results. I think I need to step back – and follow one ie you for a month or so.
I know that feeling of having too many sources and not knowing which to trust, Dana! It's actually a smart move to pick one approach and stick with it for a while to really get consistent results.
For your levain, 8g might seem tiny, but that's one of the great things about sourdough – those microorganisms multiply quickly when given the right conditions. The cool house temperature (67°F) definitely slowed things down, so moving it to the oven with the light on was a perfect adjustment.
If your levain has doubled or more by evening, it's ready to use! Look for a bubbly, aromatic mixture that's visibly increased in volume. If it's still sluggish, give it one more feeding and keep it warm overnight.
The weekend baking schedule in my book is designed to work with exactly what you're doing – keeping your starter in the fridge and refreshing it before weekend bakes. This approach will help you develop consistency and learn to read your dough's signals.
Looking forward to hearing how your baking journey progresses using this more focused approach!
Hey there! Thanks for the tips. My oven is a simple electric one (not convection fan) I was wondering if I should use the broil, or just the bottom element?
Just the bottom element!
Are there notes for making this bread with a stand mixer?
I would follow my tips using this spiral mixer .
I'm curious about the wide variation in proof time – either 7 am or 6 pm. That's a 12 hours difference – are there signs to look for during fridge proof that indicate that it's time to bake? What keeps the 6 pm bake from being over-proofed?
If the dough is in the fridge, large differences in time like this are generally okay.
I’d like to try the everyday recipe solely with bread flour. Would the total amount of flour and water change? Thank you.
You can keep the flour amount the same, but since bread flour is higher in protein, you might need to add a bit more water during mixing to achieve the right consistency. Start with the recipe as written and adjust up if needed. Let me know how it turns out!
Hello and thank you for the recipe! I just took the first two loaves out of the oven. Baked in a Dutch oven to start and then on to the rack directly after. Took them out seven minutes early because they were quite dark. Internal temp is 209. If I wanted the outside to be not so dark (like, almost burnt) would I keep It in the pot the last half hour? Would I extend the covered time and shorten the uncovered time? Thanks for any advice!
I would either shorten the total bake time, or reduce the temperature of the oven!
Thank you! I’m very much enjoying your bread recipes.
Hi, What does it mean to bake for 20 minutes with steam? Do I add liquid? Or does that just mean 20 minutes with the lid on?
If baking in a pot, yes, it means with the lid on. If you're baking open in the oven, then it's with steaming pans inside ( like this ).
Can this be adapted to be all bread flour
Yes, you can, though you might need to add more water to the mix (BF usually can take more).
I’ve been following your pizza dough recipe with much success after my wife bought me a pizza oven for my birthday and realizing very quickly that my dough game was lacking. I used to make sourdough bread, but I never gained a functional understanding of the process and the characteristics of dough in order to adjust and compensate when needed. Getting back into it, I am still in this stage, but reading your insight paired with baking something regularly is helping me make progress.
One place that I still struggle (not yet possessing a proofing box) is when the result of a bulk fermentation is an overly extensible (blobby), sticky dough. It's hard to work with, it doesn't feel right, and shaping is an exercise in futility. I know that this could be several things. The dough becomes blobby and sticky after adding the water and salt post-autolyse, but I think that it might be that my kitchen is also cooler than the ideal, and I need to bulk ferment for a few more hours. Is that a reasonable assessment? Thanks!
Hey Matthew, glad you're making progress, it does take some practice. Regarding bulk, it almost sounds like the dough isn't fermenting enough, which would be the case if temps are really cold where you are and the dough is too cold. Try warming the mixing water to keep it warmer during bulk fermentation. It's totally find to add the water and salt post autolyse, just mix again until it comes back together and smooths out. From there, a few sets of stretches and folds in bulk will help strengthen the dough further. It should be easier to preshape and shape!
Thanks, for the suggestions, Maurizio. Prior to this year, I haven’t tried baking in the wintertime. I’m in Colorado, so it does get rather cold. I’ve been keeping my starter and fermenting dough in the oven with just the incandescent lights on, which keeps it somewhere between 74 and 78 F. Would it make sense to cut back on the post-autolyse water to what it looks like the dough can sustain?
Hi Maurizio, thanks for this super helpful guide! I have a question: my dough barely rises in the bulk rise when following this process step by step. Should I wait longer before I put it in the fridge? Or is it not an issue that it didn’t rise much? My kitchen is 21C so do you think I need to leave it on the counter longer? I have made one very good bread from this once but it was a bit flat so just wondering what might be the issue there. Thank you!
Yes, at 21C that's very cold, you'll need to probably add 1 hour or so to bulk fermentation time!
Hi, I have been doing this recipe, and it has always turned out amazing! I have recently changed my liquid starter to a stiff starter, and I am wondering if I should make any changes when making this (and other) recipes. Thank you Maurizio for all the information you share with us!
Hey! If you go stiff, just know you might need to add a small amount of water to the dough to compensate for the lack of water in the starter. Or not. It's going to be a very small difference!
This is a perfect timeline for me! Could you adapt this recipe/method to include whole grain spelt or Khorasan? And if so, how? Thank you!
Yes, either one would be great. I'd start at 20% of the white flour as spelt/khorasan and go up from there through testing!
Hi, do you use a levain in ALL your recipes & is that necessary or can I just use a starter?
I don't, no. I find it helps, but it's not mandatory. See more about that, here:
https://www.theperfectloaf.com/what-is-a-levain-and-how-is-it-different-from-a-starter/
Hi Maurizio. I am looking for a schedule that will allow me to bake my family a fresh loaf everyday.
I ant seem to get my head around the math. It seems it'a a two day journey after all. If you put in in the oven in the morning but then need to let it cool before you slice.. This loaf is for the evening, right? How do I schedule it all so the kids can have freshly baked bread for school?
And are you preparing the levain every day from now on? Thank you so much.
Hey Milena! What you can do is skip the fridge retard time, just let it proof on the counter (covered in baskets) until it passes the poke test . This way, you can bake the loaves that day. What you can also do, is bake one loaf that day by letting it proof out on the counter, and then retard one loaf (put it in the fridge to proof). The next day, bake the second loaf in the later afternoon or anytime, really.
Can this recipe tolerate a bit of rye (5%?)? If so in place of whole wheat or white? How would you alter the hydration? One mire fold?
Absolutely. I'd start by swapping out the WW for the rye. I'd also bump up the water just a bit (feel it during mixing and see the consistency). No more folds are necessary than the ones listed with rye added.
Thanks. Your beginner’s recipe is about to come out of the oven. I keep coming back to it because it is so easy and tasty. I did two loaves before the hurricane and two more now that we have power back. Baking and eating this bread was a small comfort during a stressful time. BTW- love your book too!
Thanks so much, Ron!
Hi, What are the timings for baking one 1kg loaf rather than two loafs of half the size?
Good question. I'd say you might need to extend the second half of the bake time by 10 mins (just a guess, keep an eye on it!).
Hi! Thank you for the very clear instructions. I am just starting my sourdough journey, and after having fed my starter, I wanted to make this bread. I made the levain this morning, but 10 hours later my levain has barely risen. The temperature in my kitchen is about 21°C, and I made sure my starter was at it’s peak when I made the levain. Should I wait longer for the levain to rise or better to start over? (I used water at room temperature too, but read somewhere on your blog it would be better to use slightly warmer water). Looking forward to your reply, thanks in advance!
I'd definitely wait longer. If you're consistently seeing sluggish rise and activity, you can try to add more starter to the levain build. At 21C, which is on the cool side, fermentation will definitely take longer!
Easy to follow. Bread turned out great. I will be using this recipe for sure. Thank you. My question is at what point to add the nuts, etc?
So happy to hear that! I like to add them right before the first set of stretches and folds in bulk fermentation, then fold them through the dough over bulk.
Hi
I have been using your recipe and watched your YouTube videos (very helpful and informative).
I am trying to make 1 loaf instead of 2 because I only have 1 Dutch oven.
I am assuming that I halve the amount of flour and water that goes into making the levain.
And of course, halve the amount for the main dough as well.
Thank you!
Use bakers percentages to dictate the yield.
Thanks, Taylor! Yup, halve all the ingredients to just make one loaf!
Thank you for all the education, been a huge help and I’ve had success !
One issue I consistently have :
My final dough, before bake, never has that smooth “scorable” skin I see. It’s smooth but always seems a bit sticky, tough to score.
Also…. Round loafs go flat-ish, but in a bread pan the sourdough bakes well and tastes great.
Any tips?
It all comes down to shaping there. You want to shape so you have a smooth, taut surface on the skin. Check out my shaping videos/posts for some cues there:
https://www.theperfectloaf.com/guides/shaping-bread-dough/